Arty

Possum trapper by day, possum trapper by night, to Work and Income NZ he’s known as “Tusi Tusi Lau” to the police he’s known as “shoot-to-kill” and in music circles he’s known as “mildly competent.” Arty is a die-hard county music artist and often dying hard is exactly what he does on stage.

Arty “Chords” Buckwhip is well known for signing a deal with Marlboro cigarettes to play The Buckwhips pro-smoking song in perpetuity, a month before it became illegal to publicly promote cigarettes. Unfortunately for The Buckwhips Arty thought perpetuity was a small town in the South Island and now the band must continue to play the song at every gig and incur a $10,000 fine every time they play it.

The custodian of tax evasion, Arty was the one and only founding member of the Church of the Latter Buckwhips. Basically a front where members would tithe 100 percent of their earnings, and leave The Buckwhips to enjoy life without paying any tax whatsoever. Arty later served a prison sentence.

Arty is a great communicator and can converse freely with people from all walks of life; he is also great with children. He allows himself many indulgences in life, two being ug boots and flannette pyjamas. Upon arriving to perform at any city, Arty loves nothing more than to check out the local supply of ug boots and flannelette pyjamas, in anticipation that one day he may be wealthy enough to return and make a purchase.

He does not speak any foreign languages and does not have a favourite colour.